


You're Not From Legal

by FormidableChronicler



Series: Iron Friendship [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Reality, BAMF Natasha Romanov, BAMF Tony Stark, F/M, Friendship, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Protective Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 09:13:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14951822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FormidableChronicler/pseuds/FormidableChronicler
Summary: During a devastating battle, Tony Stark goes missing, and is presumed dead.Natasha Romanoff refuses to believe that, and goes to find him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To everyone who has kudos'd or commented on the first to works in this series, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Your kind words and love have meant so much! This work is for everyone who asked if there would be more.  
> Reading the first two works in this series might be helpful to know some of the references made and how Nat and Tony got to where they are at the start of this fic, but isn't strictly necessary. This work is part fluff, part angst, and part me just writing Nat and Tony because I love them.  
> This takes place between Civil War and Infinity War

When the attack started, Natasha Romanoff wasn't there.

She'd left the The Compound hours earlier. Normally she didn't have much going on at 9am on a Tuesday, but summer had crashed into season with a miserable heatwave, and Peter Parker decided he needed to be out patrolling during the worst of it. Since the moment school ended for the summer, the teenager had been out and patrolling at the crack of dawn, and not going home until well after dark.

His aunt was not exactly pleased.

Tony installed a well-ventilated cooling system in the kid's suit, but May insisted he still didn't need to be out all hours of the day, arguing that he should be doing normal kid stuff and at least be taking breaks from the stifling heat.

Tony agreed, and had attempted to threaten, blackmail, and bribe the kid into patrolling at reasonable hours.

Of course, none of them worked.

When Natasha stumbled upon Tony and Peter going toe to toe in the living room one afternoon on whether or not Peter would spend every free moment he had in the Spidey suit, she'd very firmly put an end to it before either superhero could say something they'd regret.

If Peter wanted to spend all his time patrolling, he'd have to get her approval first. And if he earned that approval, everybody had to back off and let him decide when to be Spider-Man and when to play video games.

No one seemed entirely thrilled with that decision, but as Natasha was cleaning her favorite blades as she announced it, the bargain was struck.

Now she woke every morning and rode her motorcycle into the city to meet up with Peter. Tony's insistence that Parker should train at The Compound went ignored. Parker had been training at The Compound with her for months, she wanted to see how handled himself in the real world. And if he applied any of the lessons she'd taught him since coming back to the Avengers.

The kid spent more time recovering lost tablets and eating churros than he did facing bad guys, but he HAD listened to her and varied his routine, so he got a few brownie points for that.

Natasha parked her bike at the curb near his apartment that Tuesday, already sweating. Summer was not her season. She'd accommodated for it by cutting her hair short again, and wearing a red tank top with her riding gear. Skipping the elevator, she trudged up the stairs, her knee only paining her a little bit. She should have seen it as a positive thing; her knee had been rather horribly cracked and shattered the previous winter, and she'd spent months in physical therapy to be able to get back to her usual standards of kicking ass and taking names.

But the fact that she'd been so horribly injured while she and Tony had been kidnapped, (plus the fact that she'd been kidnapped AT ALL), tended to piss her right the hell off.

So she stomped up the stairs, refusing to slow down, sweat dripping down her back, and made it to the Parker's apartment in record time.

The door was flung open before she had a chance to knock.

"Hey, Agent Romanoff!" Peter beamed at her before bouncing back into the apartment. "Want some breakfast?"

Natasha hesitated. "That depends. Did you make it? Or did May?"

"Very funny!" A female voice hollered. Cringing, Natasha followed Peter into the small kitchen, where May Parker was scrambling eggs.

"I have accepted the fact that I am the world's worst cook and have promised to stop trying new recipes on you all, but even I can scramble a few eggs," May said, jabbing a spatula at Natasha. "So sit down and eat before Pete drags you out into this ungodly heat. I've also got iced coffee."

Natasha's apprehension fled. "You're an angel," she told May, accepting the iced drink.

"Uh huh. Funny how you and Tony never say that when I provide you food, only when I give you caffeine."

"I like your food, Aunt May," Peter said, shoveling half his plate into his mouth.

Natasha narrowed her eyes behind May's back. "Suck up," she mouthed.

"I have to LIVE with her!" he hissed quietly.

May whirled around. "What was that?" 

"Nothing!"

"Hmmm." She turned the stove off, scooped eggs on a plate, and handed it to Nat. Then she gave Peter a quick kiss on the forehead. "I've gotta go to work. I'm covering half Barb's shift, and should be back at one. Maybe we can all meet and have a late lunch."

"Sounds good," Peter mumbled between mouthfuls.

"Don't do anything crazy. Listen to Agent Romanoff. And no churros today, alright? I know you have a high metabolism, Pete, but you're gonna make yourself sick."

"'Kay. Bye!"

"Bye, sweetie. See ya, Natasha."

"Thanks for the breakfast," Natasha replied, and waited until May was out of the apartment.

Then she dumped her eggs onto Peter's plate.

"Aw, come on!" Peter protested.

"Sorry, kid. You're a growing spider. I only need coffee." And she sipped hers amusedly while he choked down the rest of the badly burnt eggs.

 

 

"Parker, you're too visible. Get back a little."

"Okay, Agent Romanoff!"

"And watch out for the clothesline, you don't wanna---" she stopped as Peter ran directly into it, getting tangled in the line and then flying back like he was in a Looney Tunes episode.

"Whoops! My bad, Agent Romanoff! But no worries, it's all good!"

Nat sighed loudly. She was dressed in her Black Widow gear, and the heat was making her irritable. As soon as she saw Tony they were going to have a few words about why there wasn't a cooling unit in HER suit.

Realizing Parker had zipped over to the next alley, Natasha stayed in the shadows and followed. Peter was convinced there was a thieve's den somewhere nearby. Nat wasn't nearly as certain, (it seemed more like a run of bad luck), but she let him take the lead on ferreting them out, and remained on as backup.

If he did find a group of looters and successfully managed to take them all out, he'd get her approval.

If it was nothing more than a bored teenager wanting a few iPads, well. She would be stuck going out in this heat a few more weeks.

She desperately hoped it was the former.

He flew by overhead once again, and Nat took a glance at her watch, about to issue a break.

The first rumble rocked through the city.

Natasha froze, even as the ground shook all around her. Another rumble closely followed, and a high-pitched shriek pierced her ears.

The confused shouting began soon after.

"Agent Romanoff, what was that?" Peter yelped.

"Good question," Natasha said, and tapped on the watch Stark had given her. "FRIDAY, status report. What's going on?"

It took several moments for the AI to respond. "There seems to have been an attack."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Natasha said as Peter started sputtering. "Alien? Where did it hit?"

"It appears to be alien tech, but humans are claiming responsibility," FRIDAY said.

Well, that was something. But it didn't escape Natasha's notice that the AI hadn't answered her second question.

And she knew.

"FRIDAY? Where did it hit?" Peter asked, dropping down next to her.

Natasha braced herself, hoping she was wrong, praying the AI would say a building whose name she had never heard of.

FRIDAY was silent a few more moments, before quietly saying, "Stark Industries."


	2. Chapter 2

"Does Tony know?" Natasha demanded.

"Boss is aware."

"Tell him we'll be right there." Nat looked up at Peter. "We need to get there, now. Pepper is there." She'd seen the CEO leave The Compound for New York earlier that morning.

He nodded. "The way we've practiced?"

"Yeah." She dragged in a breath. She hated traveling that way, but it was the fastest. "Let's go."

Peter leapt into the air. Bracing herself, Natasha waited for him to shoot webs at her. When one got close enough in range, Natasha grabbed on, and felt her feet lift from the ground.

Then she was soaring up and over the skyline with Peter.

They'd only practiced at night, so having the ability to see where she was going was a bonus. Hanging on to the web he'd connected to her for dear life, she flipped and dodged buildings with Parker while they flew through the city. Each time she got dangerously close to the ground she could hear gasps and cries of shock, but then Peter would shoot a web at a higher ledge and Nat would vanish, grateful she'd developed a strong stomach years ago.

When they drew near the newest Stark Industries building, Natasha let go of her web and flipped to the ground.

Then she stood and assessed the damage.

The top half of the building was blackened, and the offices on the right side were completely gone. Natasha kept her back ramrod straight while trying to recall the layout of the building, letting nothing show while she tried to remember where Pepper's office had been.

"Agent Romanoff---" Peter whispered. "Ms. Potts..."

"Her office was on the other side," Natasha said with certainty. She watched the emergency crews rush around, trying to stabilize the chaos. Employees stumbled around into the street, dazed.

Natasha tapped her watch. "FRIDAY, how many are still in the building?"

There was a long pause. "FRIDAY?"

"There are still fifty employees in the building."

"Is Pepper still inside?" She didn't see the CEO on the street or near the ambulances.

Again, there was a delayed response. Natasha glanced at Peter. "FRIDAY, what---?"

"I'm sorry, Agent Romanoff, Boss is requiring a lot of attention. My scan indicates Ms. Potts is still in the building."

"Is Tony with her?"

This time, there was no response. 

"Great," Natasha muttered. "Okay, I'm going in."

"I'm coming too."

Her first instinct was to say no, but the kid would be helpful. "Follow me, and if I say go, you leave. We don't know who is behind this or what's waiting for us in there."

"I can't just leave you---"

"Promise to follow orders, Parker, or I'm initiating Time Out protocol."

He stiffened. "Fine."

"Lets go."

 

 

The building was full of smoke and ash, and other things Natasha didn't want to focus on. The sprinklers had kicked on, and lightly rained down on them as Peter and Natasha ran into employees and guided them to the first responders.

She worked her way up a demolished staircase, shoulders tensed. So for they'd found thirty of the missing employees. But no one had a clue as to the whereabouts of the remaining twenty, and not a single one knew where Pepper had been at the time of destruction.

It made her gut twist. Pepper had been the first female friend she ever really had. Even when posing as Pepper's PA, the two had clicked. Pepper valued Natasha's opinion, and Natasha appreciated her no-nonsense way of running things. 

As the smoke grew worse and the destruction grew deadlier in the ruined Stark Industries building, Natasha continued on, bellowing Pepper's name, refusing to believe she wouldn't be able to answer.

"Agent Romanoff? You should go back." Peter tentatively suggested from behind her.

"No."

"But, you don't have a mask or helmet, and the smoke is getting dangerous-"

"No."

Peter sighed. "One of these days I'm going to make Mr. Stark put a Time Out protocol on everybody else's gear."

"Sure, kid. I bet Tony will get right on that."

Peter shook his head, then stated, "Karen is detecting people in a conference room above us."

Well, at least one of Stark's AIs was working. And hopefully she had found all the missing people.

"Let's go get them."

 

It took a while, but Natasha and Peter were able to break their way into the conference room. There were numerous employees gathered at the far side of the room, huddled underneath a familiar figure, who was keeping them all from being crushed by holding half the roof on its back.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter rushed forward, going to help take some of the weight from the roof.

"Wrong armor, kid," Natasha said. She crouched down in front of the suit, a much more subtle red and silver color scheme than the armor she usually saw, and looked at the face plate. "Hey, Pepper."

The face plate lifted, and Pepper's pained face looked out at her. "Nat. Oh, thank God. I don't know how much longer I can hold this."

"Spider-Man should be able to help get this clear," Natasha said, gesturing to Peter. He nodded and the two worked together to help Pepper lift and push the roof and other debris away. 

When she was able to stand straight and move again, Pepper turned to her employees. "Come on, everyone, let's get out of here."

She began to lead everyone out, then turned to Natasha and paused. "Where's Tony? Is he getting people out of another part of the building?"

Natasha kept her face carefully blank. "You haven't seen him?"

"No, FRIDAY kept telling me he was busy, but that you were on your way." She pursed her lips at the destruction. "Spider-Man, can you help me guide everyone out? We might have to carry a few, a lot of people are injured."

"Yes, sure thing, Ms. Potts!"

They worked quickly, getting the injured to the emergency crews. Since Pepper wasn't focused on keeping half the roof from dropping on everyone, she was able to get quite a few people to safety in a short amount of time.

Natasha did her best to help with the rest, continuously paging FRIDAY while she did.

The lack of response from the AI had dread curling through her.

When they had cleared the building and everyone was safe, Pepper stepped out of the Rescue armor.

Stretching, she closed her eyes and sighed. "That's much better. Nat, can you ask Tony to come down? We need to figure out what's happened, and I need him to get with Maria from the PR team. I need to get a statement out, now."

"Pepper---"

"What the HELL hit my building? Some kind of death ray? It came out of nowhere, and I need to know if there were any casualties." She bit her lip, gathering herself a little after that statement. "Is Rhodey with Tony? He might have some intel as to what happened." 

"I'm not sure. Pepper..."

The words went right over the CEO's head as she noticed someone by the ambulances. "Happy! Oh, thank God. Are you all right?"

"I've been better," the head of security admitted. He had bandages covering half his forehead. "Are you okay? We couldn't get to you."

"I had my armor. It covered me before the first blast completely hit."

"Tony only makes the best," Happy grinned. "Especially for you, he would never take chances of your life." He took a sip from the water bottle he held, then frowned. "Speaking of, where the hell is he? I would've thought he'd be here instantly. It's taking an awfully long time to get here from the compound, isn't it?"

Pepper paled. "What?"

But Natasha was no longer focusing on Pepper. 

Behind her, beyond the barriers keeping the press and gawkers out, was a reporter updating the citizens of New York on the building. Natasha strode her way, ignoring Pepper, disregarding Happy, as the two frantically tried to get ahold of FRIDAY.

"....and while things seem to have calmed down at Stark Industries, they are only getting more deadly at the Avengers compound, where the attack is still ongoing," the reporter was saying. "Our own Farris Denver is on site, currently taking cover in his news vehicle because the attack has gotten so severe. His latest update...."

Natasha wasn't sure if she was going to punch the reporter or throw up. 

Her home. Her home was under attack, and she wasn't there, her friends were in danger and she was miles away, too far to get there fast enough to help.

"Agent Romanoff?" Peter's scared voice behind her snapped her back to herself. Right. She might not be able to get there instantly, but she would break every traffic law around to make sure she wasn't too late.

She took one step forward, about to inform Peter to follow her. She was getting a car and they were making their way to The Compound.

Before she could relieve some unsuspecting bystander of his vehicle, the air in front of her shimmered.

A familiar purple figure materialized in front of her, eyes solemn.

"Vision! What's going on, is Mr. Stark okay?" Peter demanded, but Vision didn't answer, and only focused on Natasha.

"Agent Romanoff. You are needed."

And then he wrapped his arms around her, and the world vanished.


	3. Chapter 3

Vision dropped her on the ground. Gasping, Natasha fought against the nausea rolling through her, willing the contents of her stomach to stay put. Vision was always popping through walls, but this ability to teleport was new. And something they were going to work on, considering how upset it made her usually unflappable stomach.

When she thought she could move without being sick, she straightened, and took in the battle occurring around her.

At least a hundred men stormed The Compound, firing and shooting at the legion of Iron Man suits Natasha assumed were being commanded by FRIDAY. The AI ruthlessly took out men carrying weapons like nothing she'd ever seen. They were similar to the Chitauri's weapons of choice, but not quite the same: a combination of human guns and alien firepower. Green and silver light shot out of their guns, and were forceful enough to easily rip the arm off one of Tony's suits with a single blow.

Iron Man and War Machine zoomed around overhead, attempting to take the intruders out. But every time they got too near the ground a blast would send them tumbling back.

She took a communication piece off belt and placed it in her ear. "Hey, boys. Need some help?"

"Romanoff? It's about time," Rhodey grumbled. "Welcome to the party."

"I really need to teach you guys what a party is," she replied. "What the hell is going on?"

A different voice blasted through her comm. "Nat, is Pepper okay?"

"She's fine. A little unnerved and a lot pissed off, but she's taking charge of things."

"Of course she is, it's Pep," Tony said flippantly, but she heard the relief in his voice. Natasha watched him circle around a nasty pair of men trying to shoot down Rhodey. The first man he aimed his repulsor at went flying. The second was faster on his feet, dodging Tony's attack, shooting a blast from his strange gun that had Rhodey veering sharply to the right to avoid being hit.

Tony swore.

Natasha inched up to the battle, keeping behind a vehicle while she assessed the situation. Vision had flown away to assist the Iron Legion, but no one had noticed Natasha on the edge of the attack yet. She would use that to her advantage.

"Anybody wanna fill me in on what's going on?"

"Bad guys. Attacking us. Very annoying," Tony grunted, whirling through the air before slamming into the ground. The Iron Man suit glowed red for a moment, and then Tony flipped his arms out, the lasers slicing into anyone who was too close.

The end result was not pretty.

"What do they want?"

"Our heads on a platter, apparently," Rhodey said. "Tones, on your left!"

"Shit!" Tony yelped, shooting into the sky. A moment later a burst of flame erupted through the clearing where he'd just stood. "Where the frick did that come from?"

"There is a gentleman in the middle of the battle capable of emitting various forms of energy," Vision said through her ear piece. "It is impossible to get near him. That is why I grabbed Agent Romanoff."

"That guy's the reason Tony and I can't get a good read on this fight? If we can't get close, Vis, I don't know what Romanoff is gonna do," Rhodey said. "No offense."

"None taken," Natasha said demurely, slinking away from the vehicles.

Tony landed next to a few of the suits FRIDAY commanded and started to laugh. "Oh, Rhodey-Bear, you are so going to pay for that."

"What? I know you're good, Natasha, but we haven't been able to---where'd she go?"

"Better watch your back, Rhodes." She could picture Tony's smirk as he said it, and felt a little bad for Colonel Rhodes. Tony would never let him hear the end of this.

Then again, he _had_ voiced doubt about her abilities, so there was no way she would let him off easily, either. 

The man really should have known better.

Sneaking around unseen had never been a problem for Natasha. In the middle of a battle, with the new stealth technology Tony had helped hook her up with, she was practically invisible. No one looked her way and noticed her while she slipped from the outskirts of the fight toward the middle of it, easily weaving through the attackers and taking a good portion of them down while she did. The knives she flung were easily snatched back up, and she collected a decent collection of the strange guns, as well.

She had no remorse as she used one of her newly acquired weapons on a man attempting to shoot Vision in the back.

Then she was off again, making her way to the man who was indeed standing in the middle of the battle. 

The lack of guards surrounding him made her pause. His men formed a circle around him further away, but for a good ten feet there was nothing but space all around him. 

That was going to make sneaking up on him a bit difficult even for her.

"I need a distraction," she said quietly.

"On it!" Tony flew overhead, shooting at a group of men to her right with mini-guns. Immediately flipping around, he doubled back and dropped down next to their fallen bodies, directly in front of the mystery man.

The moment his boots hit the man released a burst of energy. A gust of wind slammed into Tony. Natasha winced as it hit Tony like a thunderclap, sending him forcefully flying backwards and out of sight.

"Tones!" Rhodey shouted. No reply came through the comms. Rhodes went to fly after Tony, but a nearby group started to attack, and he was quickly stopped.

The mystery man started to laugh.

Natasha struck. Dropping down, she swept her right leg out and slammed it into his. He faltered, but didn't go down like she hoped. A small vortex appeared around him, lifting him in the air and keeping him from crashing to the ground. Hovering above Natasha, he narrowed his eyes and glared down at her.

He could levitate. Wonderful.

She didn't get the chance to figure out how to take him down. A crack of lighting erupted from his left hand, illuminating the sky, and lashed down, directly at her.

Cursing, Natasha scrambled out of the way just in time. She stared at the scorched ground she had just been, slightly unnerved. Thank God for fast reflexes. No wonder people grew so terrified whenever Thor came at them with his lightning.

The man sent more bolts of lightning at her, making Natasha dodge again, and again. Hissing, Natasha attempted to fire at him with the weapons she had collected, but between his own personal cyclone and the lightning, she couldn't get a good aim. 

"Agent Romanoff, do you need assistance?" Vision asked.

"Me? Nah, I'm just getting started." Whirling around, Natasha yanked her gun up and fired at the mystery man. 

This time, her aim was true. 

The silver stream of light struck him in the chest, the force of it making the cyclone shudder, then fall away. The man dropped from the sky, landing in front of her. Lightning crackled around him while he snarled at Natasha.

Shit. She really hated magic.

A red and silver suit slammed to the ground between Natasha and the mystery man as the lightning slashed through the clearing. The bolt struck Rescue dead on.

"Pepper!" Natasha yelled, surging to her feet.

But Pepper didn't go down. Instead, the Rescue's reactor blared brilliantly with light, then blasted out, colliding into the mystery man. 

He flew back, shooting out of the sight of the battle. 

Pepper's face plate lifted as Natasha limped over to her, annoyed that her knee was already aching. "Sorry it took so long to get here," Pepper said. 

"Well, Vision didn't exactly give you a lift," Natasha said. 

"What's going on?" Pepper asked. "Where's Tony?"

Grimacing, Nat pointed at the direction Stark had been blasted to. "He got hit with some crazy concussive force. Hopefully he's making his way back."

Pepper paled, but didn't panic. "What do we do now?"

"I've got to go help Vision end this. If he doesn't pop back up, we'll figure something out-" she broke off when she saw a familiar red and blue superhero streak by.

"I tried, I honestly tried, to keep him in New York," Pepper said through clenched teeth, using her repulsor to shoot a man attempting to attack them. "He's nearly as exasperating as Tony."

"That kid needs to spend more time with reasonable people," Natasha muttered. She hefted her gun, and took down two more idiots trying to get close to her and Pepper. "Can you keep this area clear?"

Pepper nodded, and the face plate slammed shut. Natasha turned to where the mystery man had been thrown, then made her way through the battle to him.

 

 

She didn't have to search long. While she was distracted with a group that were far too talented with their weapons, he dropped down lightly behind her, the vortex swirling slowly around him, as if to keep any more blasts she sent at him away.

"Black Widow," he said slowly. Despite his Asian features, his accent was British.

Natasha released the man she had in a choke hold, letting him fall. 

"Annoying Flying Man," she said in return.

The corners of his lips twitched. "You are fighting a losing battle."

"I get that a lot."

He ignored her, and slipped on sunglasses. Natasha stared at his hands. A ring covered each finger, every single one, and her mouth went dry as she processed that.

Ten rings...

"Any reason you couldn't come back later?" she forced herself to lift an eyebrow, cover her realization. "I had a lunch date I was about to get ready for."

"You are a disgrace to your training. Becoming one of Stark's minions."

She let the insult slide, and didn't let his comment about her past unnerve her. Instead, she smiled brightly. "What can I say, we get great benefits. You really don't like Stark, do you?"

"He has gotten in my way too many times."

"Funny, I don't think he had any idea who you were. I've certainly never heard him speak of you."

"Ten years ago he escaped captivity from my men. I let him live. He stopped manufacturing weapons, became Iron Man. I let him live. Do you know why?"

"You were bored and Tony is nothing if not entertaining?"

The man smiled tightly, leaning forward. "I thought, perhaps, I had finally met a worthwhile adversary. I have been around a long time, Natasha Romanoff. My attempts for world domination aside, I believed a nemesis might be intriguing." He shook his head. "I've been incredibly disappointed."

Iron Man slammed to the ground beside Natasha. "Don't take it personally. I've been a disappointment my whole life." The face plate snapped open. "Who the hell are you?" 

The man smiled. "Your worst nightmare."

"My worst nightmare involves getting an off the rack suit at an outlet mall."

"I know what your worst nightmare is. I was there."

"At the outlet mall?" Natasha asked.

Tony beamed at her. "He does seem more like a guy who shops at Bad Guys R Us."

The man said nothing, only twirled a ring on the little finger of his right hand. Natasha narrowed her eyes on it.

"What's with the jewelry?" Tony snapped. And then, for just a second, he stilled. "Son of a bitch," he swore. "You work for the Ten Rings."

"Incorrect, Stark. I lead the Ten Rings."

He pulled the sunglasses off and a smile slowly spread across his face. "I am The Mandarin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, it's the REAL Mandarin, not Killian! Things get explained a little in the next chapter, but my version of The Mandarin is in line with some of the comic books (but I have NOT read a lot, so please don't hate me if I get some things wrong!)   
> This is going off of the ending of Iron Man 3, and the reveal that occurs in the Marvel Short, All Hail the King, in which poor Trevor Slattery discover that Killian was NOT the actual Mandarin.


	4. Chapter 4

"The Mandarin is dead." Tony said flatly. "I watched Pepper barbecue him first hand."

"You honestly thought Aldrich Killian was The Mandarin?" The man laughed. "He was nothing more than a tool."

"And you just let him use your name?" Natasha asked, scooting closer to Tony. 

"He was a foolish man, intrigued by the idea of a legend. He had no idea I still existed. I allowed it, to see what would happen. Alas. He was also a disappointment."

"He was a madman who hurt and murdered a lot of people," Tony snarled.

"And yet, you yourself used Extremis not long ago. Perhaps you are just as foolish as he."

Tony's snapped his mouth shut, clenching his jaw.

"What do you want?" Natasha asked.

"I've been coordinating world domination for quite a while, child. And the Avengers are cracked in half. Perfect time to strike." He smirked. "This group can't take me out on their own."

"I wouldn't agree with that. We're pretty scrappy," Natasha said.

"Not when I deprive you of your best defender."

The face plate snapped down. "You want to take a shot, Old Man? Go ahead."

The Mandarin lifted his right hand. Tony grabbed Natasha, and threw her in the air. 

While she flipped up, The Mandarin triggered the ring capable of the gale force. Tony was ready for it this time, and dodged out of the way, firing back with his repulsors.

The Mandarin's vortex kept the hits from landing. But Natasha knew where it's weaknesses were now, had studied it during their fight earlier. She twisted, flipping through the vortex, landing on The Mandarin's back. 

They crashed to the ground, and Natasha twisted, pulling out a knife to stab it into his neck.

He blocked her, sent her sprawling. Natasha refused to let it stop her, and lifted her own wrist. The small, electrical Widow's Bites swept out, embedding in The Mandarin's neck. He jolted, the electric shocks coursing through him, then threw his hand out. 

Natasha, in the process of drawing a gun to put a bullet in his brain, slowed. Her body still moved, still reached for the gun, but it was as if she watched herself in slow motion.

Magic was the absolute _worst_.

Tony charged in like a battering ram, punching The Mandarin in the face. The man only grunted. 

Natasha gritted her teeth and tried every trick she knew to attempt to get her body to move out of slow motion. Meanwhile, Tony and The Mandarin danced in a deadly battle that she could barely keep up with. 

Tony's gauntlets never stopped; the repulsors bursted with light and fired at The Mandarin one after the other. 

The Mandarin deflected them all. He sent ice and fire roaring Tony's way in return, which the billionaire was barely able to avoid. 

Engaging his thrusters, Tony zipped into the air to keep a shard of ice from ripping him in two.

"Rhodes!" Tony shouted in the comms. "I need some backup!"

He flipped around, landed harshly on the ground, and fired the Gallagher.

The Mandarin absorbed the blast.

Natasha watched as he glowed for a second, then tilted his head.

"Rhodey!" Tony roared, zooming forward as The Mandarin raised his hands. Fire blasted out of them at Stark, but Tony lifted his arms and used his repulsors to hold the flames at bay. 

Her arms were moving again. She could feel the spell, or whatever he had tossed at her, fading. If Tony could just hold out long enough for her to get her gun...

"Tony, hang on, Vision and I are on our way," Pepper said firmly.

"Pep?! Honey, that suit is more defense than offense, get Rhodes, I need his sonic wave...fuck!"

The fire got past his defenses and Tony flipped back, nearly falling. His thrusters engaged in time, keeping him from tumbling, but the instant he was steady on the ground The Mandarin put his left hand up and triggered the ring on his thumb.

Iron Man's boots sank into the ground.

"What the hell?" Tony grunted, attempting to step forward. As soon as he did he sank further.

"By all means, keep going. You'll likely bury yourself," The Mandarin said as Tony tried to move again. "Now that I have your attention. I hope you enjoy the next step I have planned for you, Stark, I really do. I consider it a fitting end for your disappointing and annoying existence."

Natasha strained, arm moving up and faster than it had. Whatever The Mandarin had used on her was wearing off, she just needed more time...

"Don't worry about what will happen to the world while you're gone," The Mandarin continued. "I'll take good care of it. Enjoy your time in the Darkforce."

Her arm was nearly in position, she could pull the trigger in just a second...

The Mandarin twisted the ring on his right pinkie. Natasha watched, horrified, as night itself seemed to unfurl from a ring on the man's right hand, creating a wall of darkness. 

It engulfed Tony completely.

The slow motion lifted and Natasha fired, emptying her clip. The Mandarin turned, waving a hand so the bullets froze in a wall of ice.

She didn't let that stop her. Leaping up, Natasha charged, getting past the wall of ice and tackling him before the vortex could appear.

"What was that?" She hissed, pulling free another dagger from her hip. "Where did he go?"

"A place that one does not return from, specially designed to torment him. Your defender isn't coming back."

"Like hell he's not," she snarled, jabbing the knife down.

He blocked it, but she'd known he would, she'd planned for it, and she twisted herself just so, lining things up perfectly.

He surged into the air in his own personal tornado, laughing. "There is nothing you can do-"

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second. And then a pair of red and blue boots were planted in his chest, and the vortex faltered; the attack from Peter Parker hurtling him backwards and into the wall of darkness.

Then it vanished.

 

 

The Compound was silent.

No one spoke, no one inside the building moved, as the Department of Damage Control worked on cleaning up the mess outside. After The Mandarin vanished, his forces seemed to be at odds with each other. Unable to regroup and find a leader to follow, they had quickly been taken down by FRIDAY and the Iron Legion. Various law enforcement units were called in to help take them away.

The Avengers had quietly gone inside.

Pepper sat between Rhodey and Peter, staring blankly at the floor. She'd said nothing after Natasha told her what happened, only sank to the couch, the light going out of her eyes. 

Rhodey wrapped an arm around her, softly murmuring in her ear. Leaning in a little, her eyes briefly closed as her chin trembled.

Natasha as she wondered how many times Rhodey and Pepper had gone through this before. How many times they lost Tony and sat together wondering if this was going to be the time that he didn't make it back.

On the other side of Pepper, Peter huddled in on himself, tears quietly streaking down his face. He hadn't realized Tony was already in that wall of darkness before slamming The Mandarin inside to join him. Even if he had, none of them would have known the wall would vanish as soon as its master was gone. 

Regardless, Natasha knew the kid would never forgive himself.

Realizing Peter was crying, Pepper leaned over and grabbed Parker, pulling him close to her and Rhodey. The kid drew his face into her shoulder.

Natasha moved toward Vision, not wanting to impose on their grief.

"I am unable to process it," he said softly, staring out the window at the cleaning crews. "The fact that someone such as Mr. Stark could just...be gone. It does not logically make sense."

"He'll come back." The words were out of her mouth before she thought better of it. She knew better than to promise such a thing.

Vision turned away from the wreckage. "I heard what The Mandarin told you. They are in a place one does not return from."

"Maybe he was bluffing." She'd sent a message as soon as she'd walked in The Compound to the one person who could tell her if there was a viable chance of Tony returning or not.

If Strange would get off his ass and reply, she would feel a lot better.

The elevator dinged behind them, and Maria Hill and Everett Ross walked in. Natasha nodded at the former Assistant Director. Maria smiled thinly back, as Everett Ross strode over to Pepper, crouching down in front of her.

"We need to make a statement," he said quietly. 

Pepper dragged her grief-filled eyes to his. "I don't know what to say."

Everett hesitated. "Then we need to say Tony is missing. And the world might need to be prepared for his loss."

Pepper buried her face in her hands. Rhodey rubbed her back, staring daggers at Everett. "Tony's gone missing before. He always comes back."

"With all due respect, Colonel, the last time he went against the Ten Rings he was gone for three months and just barely made it out. And that was having nothing to do with their leader."

"What do you know of The Mandarin?" Vision asked.

"Not much," Everett admitted. "The Joint Counterterrorism Center had intel on him, but after the Killian debacle we assumed he was dead. I've had it reopened, and will keep you updated on what we find on him. Hopefully, he's gone for good and we don't have to worry about him."

At Maria's throat clearing, Everett winced. "Sorry. If we can find a way to rescue Stark and keep The Mandarin trapped that would obviously be ideal. Although I'm not sure how we will go about that with that Darkforce thing vanishing."

"Even if we managed to make it appear again, would we even be allowed to go in after him?" Natasha asked.

Hill looked at her sharply. Natasha ignored her.

"With Stark missing, I don't think the UN will approve any other Avengers risking themselves to go after him," Everett mused. "If it somehow appears again, we'll get researchers to look at it, see what they can figure out. I might know someone who could figure it out quickly."

Natasha nodded. "If anybody can, it would be Shuri."

"I'll reach out to her, give her a heads up regarding the situation." Everett stood, glancing back at Pepper. "Maria and I can work on releasing a statement. If there's anything else we can do..."

"Thanks."

Nodding, Everett headed back to the elevator. When Maria didn't join him his eyebrows lifted, but he only said, "I'll check on the cleanup, and wait outside."

"I'll be right there," she told him. "I want to debrief Natasha on what she saw first."

Sure, she did. Taking the bait, Natasha moved away from Vision and followed Maria to a conference room. They went inside, and Nat slid into one of the plush seats, folding her hands together. "What would you like to know?"

"What are you planning?"

"I'm planning on comforting Peter and Pepper after this conversation, then drowning my feelings in a bottle of whiskey."

"And after that?"

"I don't know."

"Romanoff."

"Assistant Director."

"FORMER Assistant Director."

"Whatever you say."

Maria sighed. "I don't even want to know how you already found a way into that wall of darkness. But I know you, Romanoff. You wouldn't have asked if you could go in if you weren't already planning on it."

"I'm just preparing for future options."

"And I'm no longer the Assistant Director of SHIELD," Maria smirked. Then her eyes grew serious. "The UN won't be able to look past you going rogue a second time, Nat."

Natasha said nothing.

Hill's lips pressed together in a thin line before she shook her head and stood. "Be careful, Natasha."

"When am I not?" Nat asked lightly as Hill walked out of the room.

 

 

Hours later, Natasha stood on the battlefield.

She'd gone over every inch of it with FRIDAY. The layout was memorized in her mind, and there was no doubt that she was standing in the very spot The Mandarin had when he unleashed the darkness on Tony. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled free the ring she'd nabbed off his pinkie before Peter toppled him into the Darkforce.

The ring slid easily on her own finger. She studied it, speculating. Strange had not gotten back to her. Every instinct she had screamed that time was of the essence, that waiting for him further would make things harder in the long run. 

Still, she hesitated.

At the very least, she was about to commit career suicide. Hill was right; she'd been lucky the UN had pardoned her for going rogue once before, they were unlikely to do so again.

There was no guarantee she would come back from this.

And if she managed to get back, there was no guarantee she wouldn't come back alone.

The flip phone in her pocket beeped, and she stilled. Fury wouldn't need to text her, he knew as much as she did by now. Clint wasn't the sort to send text messages regarding Stark, and Bruce, wherever he was, didn't have this number.

Slowly, she pulled the phone free.

_Is it true? Is he really gone?_

Only one person would risk reaching out to Natasha through that phone. One person who would refuse to believe the fall of Tony Stark, who had his own demons to confront, and wrongs to right.

She stared at the phone for a long time.

Finally, she replied.

_Not if I can help it._

She triggered the ring, and walked into the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Mandarin is known to have a ring called Nightbringer, that brings about this wall of darkness. The darkness is considered by some to come from the Darkforce, which for the purposes of this fic is an alternate dimension (because out of nowhere I decided it would be fun to play with alternate realities. I blame The Muse. Also, sincere apologies if I got this all wrong, I got the alternate reality idea and kinda ran with it!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony has been a little sparse so far, but is back with a vengeance, and the rest of the fic is very Tony-centric :)

She expected to walk into hell. 

Whether the Darkforce sent her to a miserable existence somewhere in this world or a nightmarish plane in another (and THAT was a strange sentence, even for her), Natasha had prepared for a grueling trip and battle, based on The Mandarin's comments. 

When she strode out of the dark and into a sunny mansion in Malibu, wearing a long sundress, she froze.

Slowly she took in every nook and cranny, mentally filing away the similarities and differences. It was damn near identical to the mansion she'd been in eight years ago, the one that had been utterly destroyed and fallen over the edge of the cliff it sat on. The one the fake Mandarin was responsible for destroying. 

And yet...

The last time she'd been in the Malibu mansion, it had been a mess thanks to a full on fight between Iron Man and War Machine. But before that party turned into a brawl, the mansion had been an open and welcoming place, despite the fact that its master generally spent all his time in his workshop in the garage. The same sweeping windows allowed for spectacular views, and the furniture remained the same. But the living room she stood in no longer felt welcoming. 

Perhaps it was thanks to a man long dead sitting at the piano.

He concentrated on playing the keys, head bowed low and eyes half closed, but Natasha knew he was aware she was there. Briefly, her fingers twitched, prepared to snatch the closest dagger and fling it. 

She would feel no remorse for killing Obidiah Stane.

But she needed to understand this reality, needed to figure out what was going on and where Tony was. So she let him live, and waited for Stane to break first.

The bastard played another three minutes before he spoke. "I wasn't aware Tony had a guest this evening."

"Oh come on, Obie, I can't tell you everything," said a familiar voice to her left. "Let me have a few secrets every now and then."

He sauntered up the stairs, wiping at his hands with a rag. His hair was longer than it had been in years. She'd forgotten how it curled at the edges when he went too long without a cut. But the grease stain on his face, the amusement in his eyes, and the razor sharp grin he sent Obie's way was so overwhelmingly familiar that she damn near broke cover and smiled at him.

There was no arc reactor in his chest. She wondered if she was currently in a time that occurred before Afghanistan. Judging by the weight of her own hair, it had to be sometime between 2008-2010. She hadn't worn it this long in years. 

"Every time you keep secrets, Tony, the press finds out and the board has a fit," Obie muttered. 

"They're all old and dour, someone has to keep their lives interesting," Tony argued, tossing the rag on a table and leaning against the wall.

"I'm not sure they would agree." Stane stood up from the piano, and glared at Natasha. "Who is she?"

Tony's eyes cut to her. She knew him well enough to know behind the nonchalant charade he was quickly calculating the best response. 

He grinned. "Just a little weekend distraction, Obie, don't get your panties in a twist." He pushed away from the wall, lifting his eyebrows at Nat, a mischievous grin crossing his face. "Speaking of panties, glad you're still here, Red. Wanna come play in the workshop with me?"

She was going to murder him. Like she'd ever be a conquest. 

But she played the game, sent him a sultry smile. "Of course."

"We have a board meeting to prep for!"

"Change of plans!" Tony announced, grabbing Natasha around the waist and whisking her toward the stairs. "Text me in the morning, Obie, little busy here."

"Tony!" Obidiah stomped through the living room and down the stairs after them.

Tony ignored him, guiding Natasha down the stairs until they reached the doors to the workshop, Stane continuing to grumble behind them.

Instead of entering his code, Tony spun Nat around, pressed her to the wall, and softly slid his lips over hers.

It was a tease; a soft nip. He nuzzled at her mouth, breath mingling with hers, waiting. To see how she would react, to test if she would keep playing the game with him. 

Obidiah paused on the stairs, snarling. "Honestly, Tony..."

Natasha reached out, curled her fingers into Tony's hair, and dragged him to her.

A small groan slid out of him as Tony deepened the kiss, running his hands up and down her sides. Licking the edge of her lips, Tony cupped a hand into her long hair, pressing himself closer.

She allowed it, as Obidiah still stood on the stairs, arms folded, as if he would just wait there until they were finished.

Playfully, Natasha bit Tony's bottom lip, making him lift her up, trailing light, open kisses along her neck. Fisting her hands in his hair, she sighed softly, wrapping her legs around him.

Obidiah let out a disgusted snort and stomped back up the stairs.

Tony softly pressed his lips to hers, keeping up the pretense just a bit longer before murmuring in her ear, "Thank God, I thought he'd never leave."

Pushing away from the wall, Tony entered in the code to his workshop, while Natasha untangled herself from him. She followed him through the glass doors, waiting.

It didn't take long. Tony walked through the various tools and equipment that looked like they had been thrown on the floor (he must have been on a major tinkering binge, the workshop was a MESS) to the little bar on the counter, and poured himself a drink.

Then lifted the gun he'd nabbed and pointed it at her. 

"Now would be a good time to start talking, Red. Who are you, and how the hell did you get into my house?"

Well, that answered if he remembered anything about her or not. Folding her arms, Natasha just quirked an eyebrow. "Put that down before you hurt yourself."

"Who are you?"

"A friend," she said, evading the question. There were still answers she needed before giving him a name. Was this Tony her Tony, with no recollection of their world, or was he a different person entirely?

Was there another version of herself walking around?

That was an unnerving yet slightly intriguing thought.

"Right." He snorted. "Forgive me if I don't believe that a woman randomly appearing in the middle of my living room during the same month I've damn near been kidnapped or killed numerous times is supposed to be a friend."

"You had no problem being friendly a moment ago."

His grin was wicked. "I've never been able to resist a beautiful redhead."

"I guess I should be thankful to Ms. Potts," she said lightly.

His grin vanished. The blood draining out of his face, Tony jabbed the gun at her. "You will not mention Pepper. Ever."

Natasha exhaled slowly. The mansion was different. It was nearly identical to the one she'd known, but there were little things off, things that came roaring into her awareness after Tony's words. There were always flowers at the Malibu mansion. Little arrangements that likely came from someone picking them up while at the store. 

Tony didn't shop.

Little knickknacks and books had been tucked into corners, ones that were now no longer there. And every room held an unopened can of Dr. Pepper, a long-running joke between Potts and Stark that continued to this day.

She checked the chaotic workroom. There were no unopened cans of soda.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, though her mind whirled. What had happened to Pepper in this world? She could have quit, finally done with Tony's arrogance and narcissism. But the anguish in Tony's eyes, though he tried to hide it, indicated otherwise.

He completely ignored her apology. "So, who are you? I'm not asking again."

She couldn't resist. And she owed him one for the kiss. "I'm from Legal."

"I've never seen you before."

"You don't recognize me?"

"Should I?" He studied her, then shrugged. "Sure don't."

She could always resurrect Natalie Rushman. But she'd made a promise, a little over a year ago, to be honest with Tony. Even if he couldn't currently remember that promise.

"My name is Natasha Romanoff. I'm here to help you."

"I don't need help," he said, and pulled the trigger.

 

If he hadn't been projecting what he was about to do, Natasha might have wound up with a bullet in her arm. Again. But this Tony had not fought with her before (or if he had, he didn't remember it). And she knew him well enough to know the little twitch of his mouth meant he was mouthing off to distract her, and keep her from realizing he was about to shoot her.

She dodged the bullet easily. 

Another swift roll had her in front of him, knocking the gun away. "Idiot," she said, but her tone was affectionate. "If I had wanted you dead, Stark, you would be."

If the insult bothered him, he didn't show it. Instead, he slammed a hand out, attempting to smash his fist in her face. She simply caught it and twisted, bringing his arm behind his back.

Scrappy as ever, Tony attempted stomping down on her foot. He nearly got her too, but she yanked his arm a little tighter causing him to falter and wince.

"Just do it, goddammit," he snapped. "Just fucking end it."

She nearly sighed at the defeat in his voice. The man could break her heart better than anyone she'd ever known. "I'm not here to kill you, Tony."

"Oh, that's right, you said you were a friend. Tell me, why a friend would appear out of fucking nowhere in the middle of the night without warning? Hmm? Why would a friend do that, unless they weren't a friend at all and actually a lying sack of---"

"Sir."

"Not now, Jay, I'm sassing a murderess."

"SIR. She appears to be telling the truth."

"What?" Tony goggled.

Natasha let him go, smirking. "Hello, JARVIS."

"How the actual fucking hell do you know about JARVIS?" Tony demanded.

"I told you. I'm a friend." And she'd missed Tony's original AI. He had a wit FRIDAY and Karen hadn't yet managed to achieve.

"JARVIS, have you been picking up ladies on the internet again?"

"Ms. Romanoff and I are not actually acquainted. But I checked her records while the two of you...scuffled. She is an agent of Shield, sir."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course. Fucking Coulson."

"Indeed, sir. It seems he completely disregarded your insistence that you had everything taken care of, and sent Agent Romanoff to keep an eye on things. According to her records, she is...rather capable."

That was putting it mildly, but she assumed JARVIS was too polite to say she was the equivalent of a terrifying Grim Reaper in heels.

"You're saying she's a friendly?"

"I wouldn't go that far, sir. But my findings show that she could be a useful ally."

"Hooray." Tony walked to the bar, and poured another drink. "So, what. I'm supposed to just be fine with you sneaking around my security and dropping in whenever you want?"

"Are you really trying to tell me Coulson has never done that?"

"Okay, A, we are not talking about the obnoxiously stubborn Coulson. And Two, you didn't answer my question."

"Why don't you tell me what's been going on?"

"Why, because Shield hasn't already filled you in?"

"I'd like to hear it in your words."

He took a sip of scotch. "Two years ago a group called the Ten Rings tried to kidnap me. They failed, and have been trying ever since. It's gotten tedious. And ruined my nightlife."

Natasha walked over, grabbed her own glass. So, Tony had gone to Afghanistan. But he never became Iron Man.

"Why do you think they are after you?"

"Coulson seems to think it's because they want me to make weapons for them."

She caught the disdain in his voice. "You don't think so."

"No, I think that's right. But they've had an awful lot of luck knowing where I'd be."

"Someone's helping them."

He sighed. "Yeah. I haven't been able to figure out who."

Natasha had a pretty good idea. But this Tony wasn't ready to hear that particular truth yet. "Well, that's what I'm here for. To make sure whoever is helping them doesn't get to you."

"Wonderful." He studied her over the rim of his glass for a second, then ran a hand through his hair. "Jay, set the lady up in one of the guest rooms. Agent Romanoff, we can discuss this further in the morning."

"Sir, perhaps it would be productive to create a plan of action this evening--"

"We're done for the night," Tony declared.

Natasha took the hint, and left the workshop.

 

 

Sleep eluded her, though she was exhausted. Breakfast with Peter and May felt like a million years ago, but turning her thoughts off and relaxing into the luxurious guest bedroom proved impossible.

She stared at the ceiling, windows open to listen to the waves crashing below, and tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

The Mandarin had sent Tony to a reality where he never became Iron Man. It was a smart move, really. Tony not becoming the person he was meant to be would be a devastating blow to himself and the world; and a happy outcome for everyone he'd defeated as the Iron Avenger.

In this world, he was still the hated Merchant of Death. And the only person he seemed to still have in his corner was Obidiah Stane.

Talk about awful. 

And the most frustrating part of all, was she had no idea what Tony she was dealing with. Did the Tony in this mansion belong here, or did he belong with her world?

If he belonged to her reality, why didn't he remember everything, as she did?

And if he didn't, where was her reality's Tony? 

She rolled over, once again wondering what had happened to Pepper. And where Rhodes and Happy were.

At least she had JARVIS. 

That small, comforting thought lulled her to sleep.

When she woke, the sun shone brightly and JARVIS informed her it was five am.

Well, three hours of sleep was better than nothing.

She dressed, in a pair of shorts and a tank top she found in a drawer. Telling JARVIS she was going to make sure the perimeter was secured, she stepped out of the mansion.

She was standing on the edge of the cliffs, not really sure what the hell to do next, when a familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Well, Agent Romanoff. You seem to have landed in quite a world of shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I write an alternate reality fic just so I could have a scene where Tony and Nat kissed???  
> ....well, yes. Yes I did. No regrets.  
> Also, I really, really miss JARVIS so he had to appear, too


	6. Chapter 6

Stephen Strange stepped up next to her, his Cloak of Levitation flapping in the wind.

"You just couldn't wait for me before acting, could you?"

"You just couldn't hurry it up and get your ass in gear to help?" She retorted.

"Believe it or not, there are many realities and mystical elements I am responsible for, Romanoff, that require an inordinate amount of attention. I arrived as fast as I could."

"Not fast enough," she muttered.

"Clearly, as we are having this conversation in the Darkforce, and not on Earth."

"I don't suppose you could do a girl a favor and portal us back to where we belong, could you, Strange?"

"It doesn't work like that."

"Of course it doesn't," she sighed. Stupid magic. "What do I do to get us out?" 

Strange observed the ocean for a moment. "The Mandarin played his card well. Tony's been reduced to the version of himself he hates the most, and any chance he had of becoming Iron Man in this reality has been thwarted. The Ten Rings still hunt him on Obidiah Stane's orders, but they will never let him near the materials to create the suit, and it's doubtful he will randomly create one without the desperation he had for the Mark 1."

"So, I'll tell him to go tinker in the lab. It's what he does."

"It is, yes. Except he has nothing to fight for. The Mandarin made sure to take them away."

"Pepper," she said softly.

Strange nodded. "Ms. Potts accompanied Stark to Afghanistan in this reality. She was in the Humvee that was attacked, not Tony. Rhodes died trying to rescue her while his men hurried Tony away. He lost them both in moments."

Natasha closed her eyes. 

"He's barely left the workshop in two years," Strange continued. "Or at least, the memories The Mandarin has planted indicates he hasn't."

Her eyes snapped back open, then narrowed. "So this Tony is still the one that belongs in our reality?"

"Essentially. But his memories were ripped away. He'll remember nothing."

At least she didn't have to worry about another Tony running around. But..."You managed to portal in here. Can you take us with you?"

"You must leave the way you came, or set off cataclysmic reactions. Tony can't leave unless he's a willing participant. If you try and yank him through, the repercussions would be catastrophic."

Good thing she hadn't tried triggering the ring and shoving him through as soon as she saw him, then. "That's incredibly unhelpful, Strange."

"There's not much I can tell you without destroying your chances. You know that."

Honestly, what the hell was the point of magic if it wasn't any help?

"Why do I remember?" She asked, needing to know one last answer before he vanished. "Why do I remember where we're from, and Tony doesn't?"

Strange glanced at Natasha's hand. "Because you weren't supposed to be here. But you wield the ring. With that, you might be able to get back, if you can convince Tony."

Well, that shouldn't be too hard. There was nothing for him here except JARVIS. 

"Keep in mind, Romanoff, that you are not the only one who is not supposed to be here."

She was pretty sure he wasn't talking about himself.

"Right. So I need to convince Tony this world sucks, figure out how to use this ring, and avoid The Mandarin."

"I would keep an eye on Obidiah Stane as well. And try not to run into this reality's version of yourself."

"Of course," she murmured, although really, that thought was definitely tempting. "Piece of cake."

 

 

Once Strange went poof, she immediately went back inside the mansion. She found Tony, sitting upright but sound asleep on the couch, head tipped back.

Stane stood over him. 

She ignored the irritated look on his face when she walked in. 

"We've gotta prep for the board meeting," Stane said to her, shaking his head. He reached down, leaning over Tony, and shook him. "Tony, wake up, come on."

His face was far too close to Stark's. Natasha strode across the room, preparing to make some excuse to get Obidiah to move, when Tony's eyes snapped open.

"Fuck!" He flinched away from Stane, shoving the older man away. Obidiah stumbled back, barely keeping upright.

"What the hell, Tony?"

But Stark wasn't listening. Hands on his chest, Tony huddled on the side of the couch, cursing under his breath.

When Obidiah reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, Tony smacked it away.

"Tony, what the fuck is wrong with you? Come on, we've got a meeting to prepare for."

"You need to leave." Natasha planted herself between the two men, folding her arms and glaring at Stane.

"I'm not leaving. Stop being a pain in the ass, Tony, we've got---"

Natasha stepped forward, narrowed her eyes. "Leave. Now. Or I will make you."

Obidiah paused. "You are going to regret ordering me around."

"I think I can handle it."

He shoved his hands on his hips. "Tony, I'll be back when you're done being an ass. Make sure this woman isn't anywhere near here when I do."

Tony didn't respond. Stane sent one last murderous glare at Natasha, then spun on his heel and left.

Natasha stayed where she was, not moving away from Tony until JARVIS assured her Obidiah was long gone.

 

 

 

It was now close to seven, so Natasha dragged out a pan and proceeded to make breakfast. 

She didn't say anything to Tony. This Tony was not going to accept comfort from her. She knew him well enough to know that if she tried, he would pull away. So she left him alone while he fought to put himself back together.

When she had a large batch of pancakes nearly ready, she asked JARVIS to tell Tony, hoping the sound of his AI's voice would help steady him. 

The man that shuffled into the kitchen ten minutes later looked similar to her friend but said nothing. She placed a large cup of coffee in front of him and didn't bother speaking until he drank the whole thing and was halfway through a second.

"Want to talk about it?"

Tony exhaled loudly, stabbing a pancake with his fork. "It was just a bad dream."

"That wasn't a bad dream."

Tony grunted and ate his food. 

She decided to try another tactic. "Why didn't you want Stane around when you asked who I was last night?"

The fork paused. "Obie would have flipped if he knew someone snuck into the house with all this going on."

"That's not why."

"Leave it, Romanoff."

"You suspect him, don't you? You said yourself the Ten Rings has information on you they shouldn't. He's giving it to them."

"I don't know that."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't!" He snapped. "I've been trying to prove it for two years. Ever since I lost everything. But he's slippery, and I can't...I can't pin anything on him. Every time I get close, the Ten Rings pop up out of nowhere again to try and kill me, which gets a little distracting."

"Because he's ordering them to attack you."

"I can't prove---"

"He ripped your heart out of your chest."

Tony flinched at her quiet statement. She didn't acknowledge it. 

"He leaned over you, on that couch, and ripped your heart out."

"It was a dream," he said hoarsely. "And it wasn't my heart, it was..."

"It was a small arc reactor, built to keep shrapnel from shredding your heart and killing you."

He snorted. "That sounds like some stupid science fiction movie. The reactor was a publicity stunt. It doesn't do anything."

"It not only kept shrapnel out of your heart, it powered a high-tech, armored suit that basically privatized world peace."

He stared at her. "That sounds ridiculous."

"It really does," she agreed. "Until you see it. Then it's pretty incredible. And you built it."

"That's...It was a dream."

"It was a memory," she corrected, eating her own pancakes. "How else would I know what you saw?"

He stared at her. She continued to eat, nonchalantly. She hadn't planned to tell him the truth quite yet, but if he was remembering things thanks to Stane, she would use it to her advantage.

"I don't know if I should tell you to clarify, or kick you out."

"I could explain, but I doubt you'd believe me. Yet. And you can't kick me out." She grinned. "And don't think you can trick me, either, Stark. I know you a lot better than you think."

"This is the most unnerving breakfast I've ever had."

"Trust me. Berlin was worse."

"That makes absolutely no sense. We've never been to Berlin."

Smirking, Natasha put her dishes in the sink. "Sure, we have. And that was a lot more awkward. Now, can I borrow JARVIS for a little bit?"

"Why?" He asked slowly. 

"I need his help to hack into SHIELD."


	7. Chapter 7

"Why are we accessing records from the place you work?"

"I have questions about the Ten Rings, and SHIELD will likely know the answers. But there are some people I would rather not know I'm digging."

Like herself. But that was best not mentioned yet. They walked down to the workshop, and Natasha waited for Tony to enter his code and unlock the door. 

"What do you know about their leader?" Tony asked.

"Someone known as The Mandarin runs them. A few organizations believe The Mandarin is really a man named Aldrich Killian. He's not."

"Then who is he?"

"That's what I need JARVIS for. The real Mandarin has been around for a while, and has these magical rings."

"Let me guess. Ten of them?"

Nat smiled. "And people are shocked to hear you're a genius."

"Most people focus on the playboy billionaire part." Tony said, engaging his holoscreens. 

"Which you totally use to your advantage."

He barked out a laugh. "Of course, Red. I am a genius, after all. Now. Where should we start?"

 

An hour later, Natasha's head spun. She and JARVIS had finally accessed files deeply secured, and she stared at the displayed information in front of her, trying to process it.

"Does that...is that seriously saying this man gets his super powerful technology from an alien race? Was the agent writing this report on happy pills?" Tony asked, staring over her shoulder.

"Believe it or not, it's actually not the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Makes more sense than magic being responsible."

"Magic. Right." Stark snorted. "If JARVIS didn't vouch for you, Romanoff, I would be considering a not so subtle way to get rid of you right about now."

"Luckily, your AI has more sense than you do." She peered closer at an image near her head, depicting a crashed space ship. "JARVIS, does SHIELD have any other information on these Makluans? That's one alien race I've never heard of."

"Best buddies with the other inhabitants of the universe, are you?" Tony snarked, pouring himself some coffee.

Natasha thought of Thor. "Actually, yes."

She missed the blonde Asgardian. And Banner. 

And Rogers.

JARVIS enhanced the image of the ship, allowing a glimpse at the stripped interior. "Nothing beyond the ship the Mandarin discovered and its deceased occupant are known about the Makluans. Whatever knowledge was in the ship had been stolen or wiped clean."

"What do we know about the rings he has?" Natasha asked.

"Each one appears to have its own special ability," JARVIS said. "SHIELD has notes on The Mandarin using one to basically create, lightning, ice, and fire. There is an ability to create a whirlwind vortex, and a great blast of wind."

She'd seen all of those firsthand. "Are there reports on any of the other rings?"

"It does not appear so."

Dammit. She refrained from glaring at the ring on her finger. 

"Though there are rumors for one," JARVIS continued. "It is known as Nightbringer. It engulfs The Mandarin's enemy in darkness. They do not come back."

Well, this time they were. Thinking on what Strange said, Natasha studied Tony. She had to get his permission to take him back, or taking him back would likely not end well. Obidiah had opened the door for her, but how far could she push Tony before he completely disregarded her? 

She needed to convince him to go, and soon. The Mandarin was likely not pleased Peter had kicked him into this realm with Tony. 

They needed to be gone before he appeared.

Tony noticed her stare and quirked an eyebrow. "Something on my face, Romanoff?"

"What do we have that could counter some of this rings, if The Mandarin appears?"

He shrugged. "JARVIS?"

"Nothing that wouldn't completely destroy the mansion, sir."

Stark ran a hand through his hair. "I could probably make a few things. Something to deflect the ice, fire, and lightning for sure. I'll have to think on the darkness stuff, that's a little more complicated."

"The armor could take him on, with proper knowledge and adjustments."

"The magical one from a dream?" He scoffed. "Okay, Looney Tunes, let me get right on making that."

She took a step toward him, debating whether to let it go, or keep pushing, when an object on the side of the room caught her eye. 

She crossed the room, slowly. Even now, even after all that had happened, the sight of that damn thing could still fill her with hope. 

She doubted Tony would feel the same, but she was damn sure it would get some kind of reaction out of him.

She lifted her gaze to Tony's. "I'm going to need you to remember."

"Remember what? My mentor and oldest friend ripping the heart out of my chest? That didn't happen, Romanoff. There is no suit."

She tossed the shield onto the work table in front of him.

He stilled.

It wasn't the real one. In this timeline, that shield was still buried under the ice, along with the man who wielded it. But the replica was remarkably similar, even if it wasn't finished.

She stepped toward Tony, who stared at the shield with eyes she couldn't read. 

"There was an idea," she began, but Stark started shaking his head, backing away from the shield.

"I don't---why do I want to get the hell away from Captain America's shield, I never knew the guy. What is going on, Romanoff? Why...Steve." He flinched, and his eyes snapped to hers. "His name is Steve and he's such a _stubborn_ pain in the ass, why couldn't he just listen?! I was trying to protect the team, I was...And then he...he LIED..." Tony kicked at the table, making the shield clatter to the floor. Then he whirled on Natasha, a crazed look in his eyes. "What the fuck is going on, what the hell IS THIS?"

"Language," she said quietly, and Tony closed his eyes.

She waited. 

Obidiah had not been the only person to essentially rip Tony's heart out of his chest. But Steve wasn't Stane, and before Siberia, they had all been a team. Who had fought together, laughed together. Had ridiculous inside jokes about an old man from Brooklyn reprimanding them for saying a bad word.

Had been family.

She refused to believe her family couldn't be salvaged. 

Everything she'd done since Berlin had been for them. And she'd continue to try and make things right once she got Stark back, because the world needed the Avengers. ALL of them.

"Romanoff." Tony said after a long moment, opening his eyes. "I--"

"Sir!"

Tony snapped his mouth shut. Then, giving her an apologetic look, said, "What, JARVIS?"

"We are about to be under attack."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The shield Nat finds in Tony's workshop is the one he uses in Iron Man 2 while creating a new element.


	8. Chapter 8

"How long do we have?" Natasha demanded while Tony rushed to the other side of the workshop.

"Approximately three minutes."

"How many?"

"I have been able to detect twelve."

"What are they carrying?" Natasha asked, catching the gun Tony threw at her.

"A very large arsenal."

"They are not getting in my house. Jay, lock this place up like Fort Knox."

"I have already started the necessary protocols, sir."

"We have numerous shields in place to keep anyone from getting in," Tony told her. "We can just wait whoever it is out."

"Sir, someone is attempting to get into my servers."

"Shit," Tony swore. He sat down at his desk, hastily typing in code. "Hang on, JARVIS, I'm kicking the fuckers out."

"What are the odds they'll get past you?" Natasha asked.

"Bite your tongue, Romanoff. They'll do no such thing."

She went to get more weapons.

"Sir," JARVIS said quietly. "I think we are being attacked by SHIELD."

Tony paused. "What?"

"Agent Coulson is in the lead vehicle. And..."

"And what, Jay?" Tony asked, resuming his work trying to keep his servers safe.

"Agent Romanoff is with him."

Well, shit. Of course she was. Nat held up her hands slowly as JARVIS displayed the image of Coulson and the Other Natasha in the car. 

Tony whirled around to face her.

"I can explain."

"I hope it's to tell me that's your fucking twin with Coulson."

"That's my fucking twin with Coulson," she said, completely straight-faced and seriously. Then she winced. Dammit, she had promised not to lie. But really, would he seriously believe the whole alternate reality thing? Even if his memories were trickling back in, it was a large pill to swallow. 

Hell, it was for her, and she was the one who had willingly stepped into it.

"You need to tell me what's really going on," Stark demanded.

"Believe me, I've been trying," she muttered. "I'll explain everything after we fix this."

 

 

To his credit, Coulson did not immediately begin to attack. 

JARVIS assisted her in getting a connection to him, and she watched him on the holoscreen JARVIS displayed, assessing the best way to diffuse the situation.

Her own face stared at her from the passenger seat of the vehicle. Natasha didn't dare take her eyes off the other version of herself. One second was all she would need to slip away unnoticed. 

If this Natasha had appeared in the real world, nothing she could have said would have convinced Nat she was a friendly. So it was safe to assume this Natasha had already figured out two dozen ways to kill her.

"Hi, Coulson. Don't shoot." 

Coulson's lips twitched. "I wasn't planning on coming in guns blazing."

She didn't bother hiding her snort. SHIELD had about seven protocols in place to take her out if she flipped on them, and nearly all of them included taking her out from a safe distance before she could realize they were there. Whether it was by a sniper, a stubborn archer, or just by dropping a bomb on her, 99% of them revolved around the person doing the deed being far, far away, and very, very good at what they did.

Only one centered around a man being courageously foolish enough to take her down face to face. 

It would have never worked. But she had to admit, Coulson being the one to approach her would have at least made her hesitate.

Although that plan was probably being tweaked at that very moment, to allow the Natasha in the vehicle to get close enough to attack her.

Which was why she was staying put in the workshop, far away from windows.

"So, what are you doing here, then?"

"I just want to talk," Coulson continued. "We got a little concerned when we overheard a phone call from Obidiah Stane describing someone exactly like Romanoff annoying him by being here with Stark. Seeing as how the Romanoff we know has been with me since last Monday."

"This is gonna sound crazy, but I am Romanoff."

He smiled. "Sure, you are. I just want to talk about that, find out what's going on. And get proof of life for Mr. Stark."

"Aw, are you worried about me, Agent Agent?" Tony asked, smirking. Natasha rolled her eyes. 

"Glad to see you're keeping your wits about you, Stark."

"I'm remarkably resilient like that."

"That is the understatement of the century," Natasha muttered. "Stark is fine, Coulson. Thanks for dropping by."

"You cannot believe that I am just going to leave, knowing that you are in there with Stark while the real Natasha Romanoff is out here with me."

"You sure she's not the imposter?" Nat asked, just to piss the other version of herself off. 

Sure enough, Other Nat slowly stalked out of the car, inching toward the driveway, death in her eyes.

Tony looked from the Natasha in the driveway to the one in his workshop. "Christ, you're a scary lady."

"And don't you forget it," she said, grinning at him fiercely.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the building," Coulson said. "Or we will have to resort to more drastic measures."

"You really going to drop a bomb on Tony Stark in his own house?" She asked.

"Actually, I was planning on appealing to Mr. Stark's common sense and uncanny ability to survive and ask him to find a way to incapacitate you and sneak out."

"Do you REALLY think Stark could incapacitate me?" She scoffed. 

"It's not an entirely stupid theory," Stark commented. She glared at him. "What? Genius, here. I could probably---Stop GLARING, I already told you that you are a scary lady, Jesus. You're gonna give me nightmares. I'm not flipping on you, Romanoff, cool it with the Scary Eyes."

"Mr. Stark. Do you honestly trust the woman in that house with you?"

Tony's eyes flicked to hers. She held back the wince. If he had his memory, she would have known he'd say yes. Everything they had gone through after the Civil War had brought them closer, and Tony was one of the best friends she ever had.

But even though he'd had a few flashes of the past, this Tony didn't know her. He might not flip on her, but trust her? That was asking a lot.

His eyes narrowed briefly, like he'd just had some kind of realization. She braced herself for the snarky reply, the assurance that there was no way he'd trust the super scary lady who'd mysteriously appeared in his life. 

She wouldn't hold it against him. 

"You know, what?" Tony said finally, brows furrowing. "I think I do." 

She blinked. Coulson frowned.

"So while you're services are appreciated, Agent Agent," Tony continued, looking back at the screen, "they're not really needed."

And with a smirk, he ended the call.


	9. Chapter 9

Natasha cleared her throat in an attempt to get rid of the tightness in her chest. 

He trusted her. Just like that. She'd done nothing but appear in his life and tried to remind him of not-so-wonderful memories.

And he trusted her.

Tony Stark had a far better heart than the world had ever given him credit for.

When she thought she could speak, she said, "You know they aren't going to leave."

"Eh." Tony waved a hand. "JARVIS will keep an eye on them. You and I need to talk."

"I suppose we do," she murmured. Gesturing to the couch, Tony sat and waited for her to join them. "So, what are we talking about? Are you a clone of the real Romanoff? Did you escape the nefarious scientists of SHIELD and come to me for help?"

"You seem rather comfortable with that scenario."

"Of course, then I'd get to be the hero and somebody else can finally be the one that screws up."

She tilted her head at him. "You're not a screw up, Stark."

"Mmmm," he said dismissively. "So, not a clone? Evil Twin?"

"From another reality, actually."

"Well. That's...." his face scrunched up while he tried to think of a quip. "I've got nothing."

"Do you even believe me?" 

"You did literally just magically appear in my living room," he reminded her. "JARVIS and I watched the footage about seventy times, neither of us could figure it out. It had to be something bizarre. So, alternate reality, huh?"

"You are surprisingly blasé about this."

"Truthfully? It's better than you saying you're a witch or some shit. I don't like witches."

No, after all his bad interactions with Wanda, he wouldn't.

"I can play along and consider the possibilities of limitless realities and realms. JARVIS just showed us a crashed spaceship, after all. So, what's your world like?"

"Very similar to this."

"But I've got a magical suit and a glow stick in my chest."

"Actually, you don't have that anymore. And the suit isn't magical, it's a titanium-alloyed mech suit that allows you to use the arc reactor to achieve flight and fire power."

His eyebrow lifted. "You know a lot about it."

"We're friends," she said simply. 

"Why are you here?" He asked, grabbing his coffee from the nearby end table and taking a sip. She wasn't sure if it was because he needed the caffeine hit or if he was using it as a way to center himself during this odd conversation.

"The Mandarin used his Nightbringer ring and sent you here. I came after you."

He choked. Natasha thumped him unsympathetically on the back until his wheezing subsided.

"You-you came after me?" He asked, rubbing his chest, and grimacing. "Why?"

"You're my person." She said. At his confused look, she added, "We're friends."

He stared at her for a long moment. "You prefer tea over coffee."

"Yes, I do," she answered, though it hadn't really been a question.

"You hate classical music."

The shudder didn't run through her like it used to, but she did cringe inside a bit. "Yeah," she said softly. "I do."

"You're... not from Legal."

She couldn't help it. The laugh bubbled up, slipping out of her before she could stop it.

"No, Stark. I'm not from Legal."

He shook his head. "I remember, but I don't. It's...disconcerting. JARVIS, pull up everything you've got on The Mandarin again, and his rings. I need to catch up."

 

 

At some point, she fell asleep.

Tony had scrutinized the images JARVIS displayed, poured over the reports on the rings. Asked Natasha over and over how his suit worked, what it was capable of, and how it had failed to take The Mandarin out before he'd been sent through the Darkforce.

She told him all she could, waiting the entire time for the other shoe to drop, for him to shake his head, tell her she was bananas, and walk away. 

But he stayed, and studied. She drifted off while he muttered about ways to utilize a suit he didn't remember, to defeat a man he'd never met.

She vaguely realized that she should remain on high alert; The Mandarin was still out there, as was another version of herself and Coulson. 

But she let her head drop on Tony's shoulder. And when he ran a hand over her hair, she closed her eyes. 

He trusted her. He believed her.

She slept.

 

 

She woke to JARVIS informing Tony that a helicopter was approaching.

Sleepiness was gone in a moment. Natasha surged to her feet, taking in the image of a helicopter swooping toward them.

"Is it him?" Tony asked.

"It has to be." The Fake Mandarin had tried taking Tony out by destroying his house; perhaps the real one thought it was a good idea as well. Turning to Tony, she lifted her hand, bringing the ring into sight between them.

"We need to go."

He nodded. "Okay."

Still, she could wait one more moment. "Say goodbye to JARVIS, Tony," she said, softly.

He frowned. "What? Why?"

"Because he isn't where we're going." And he never got the chance to, before. With everything that happened with Ultron, Tony never got the chance to say goodbye. She wanted him to have that chance now.

"Why isn't-" Tony began, but JARVIS interrupted.

"Sir. It has been my absolute honor."

"Jay-"

"Do try your best to get some actual sleep in this other timeline, sir?"

"I'll try buddy," Tony said, lips twitching. "I couldn't have survived the last two years without you."

"Nor I you, sir."

"If I can find a way to bring you to Romanoff's time, I will," Tony vowed.

"I shall look forward to it. You should go, sir."

"Right. Bye, JARVIS. Catch you on the flip side."

There was no response.

"Jay?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Obidiah walked into the workroom, smiling smugly. "Was I interrupting something?"

Natasha moved, flinging herself between the men as Stane lifted a gun. Jerking her arms up, she relieved him of his weapon in two seconds, sending him a solid slap in the process.

"What did you do to JARVIS?" She demanded, turning his own gun on him.

"Kill switch," Stane grunted. "Couldn't let him tell you I was sneaking in, could I?"

"How did you get past Coulson?" Tony wondered.

"Oh, Agent Coulson and his crew are regrettably detained," Stane smirked.

The Mandarin. Shit.

"Time to go," she said to Tony, and the world exploded.

The missile must have gone through the windows overlooking the ocean, destroying the floor above them. Debris rained down on them, a large chunk nearly taking Stane down. Natasha ignored him, and grabbed Tony. "Ready?"

He nodded. 

A figure stepped down the stairs, completely unbothered by the destruction around it. Natasha's breath caught, as The Mandarin walked into the workshop, rings gleaming.

"Good evening, Agent Romanoff," he crooned, lifting his hands. "You have something that belongs to me."

She shoved Tony down, and out of the way, as lightning flashed through the room.

"Watch it!" Stane yelped. "Watch what you're doing, I didn't invite you here to help just to get barbecued!"

Nat gripped Tony's arm and triggered the ring, a wall of darkness spreading out in front of them.

"That's freaking creepy," Tony muttered. She agreed, but didn't argue. Instead she just grabbed his hand as The Mandarin sent flames at them, and shoved him into the Darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It always broke my heart that Tony never really had a chance to say goodbye to JARVIS in Age of Ultron, so I gave them a farewell here, because JARVIS was the best, and deserves all the love


	10. Chapter 10

They slammed into the grass in front of The Compound.

Natasha was on her feet instantly, assessing their surroundings. And a sigh of relief flooded her as she recognized the black leather covering her from head to toe, and the short hair that fluttered in the breeze. She was back.

And Tony...

He sat in his armor, face plate lifted, staring at his hands with an incredulous expression. The grin that covered his face was breath-taking. His eyes crinkles at the edges, and the little laugh of wonder reminded her of a kid on Christmas. Her own mouth twisted into a smile at the sight of him. 

They had done it. Tony was back where he belonged.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one.

Before the wall of darkness vanished, another figure was spat out. Natasha immediately shot a Widow's Bite Taser at him, but he easily waved a hand, the vortex appearing and deflecting it away.

"I want my ring," he told her. 

"Yeah? Come and get it," she taunted.

The lightning flashed from his ring, but Tony stepped between them. The lightning struck the Iron Man suit, illuminating Stark.

The Mandarin laughed, and Natasha just shook her head at him as Tony started laughing too.

"Thanks for the power upgrade!" He called, as all the lights on the suit exploded with brilliance. "But it's time for you to be gone now. Buh bye."

The Gallagher roared to life, and hit The Mandarin right in the chest. He toppled backward, and Natasha surged forward, leaping onto him to keep him down. He grabbed her by the shoulders and they rolled, Natasha trying to grasp his hands and keep him from triggering any of his rings. 

He spat at her, and wow, gross. But she held firm, and kneed him for the rudeness. The Mandarin grunted, twisting, and managed to trigger the ring on the ring finger on his left hand. 

"STOP." He commanded.

She did.

The Mandarin stood, while Natasha stayed where she was.

Okay, she was starting to feel just as hostile toward alien tech as she did magic.

"Do not move." The Mandarin ordered, and she hoped this ring wore off as quickly as the slow motion one did, because this was just embarrassing.

He reached down for her hand to steal back Nightbringer.

"Uh, excuse me, I'm feeling rather neglected over here," Tony snarled, shooting at The Mandarin with his repulsor.

Grunting, The Mandarin reeled back from the blast, but didn't go down. Natasha thought that was rather unfair, she'd been hit with a repulsor before, and knew first hand they hurt like hell.

The vortex appeared, and he whirled up and away, but Tony was having none of it. Blasting off after him, they started a spectacular fight in the sky, fire and beams of energy lighting up the night.

There was a sonic boom, and the forceful wind collided with Tony again. Stark tried to dodge it, but it caught the side of one of his right hand and sent him sprawling away.

The Mandarin dropped to the ground next to Natasha.

"I am going to take my ring back. And then you and Stark are going back where you belong."

He approached slowly, sending her a wicked grin. "There are many ways to remove that ring. I think I might just take your whole hand, out of spite. You've greatly annoyed me."

Tony slammed down next to them. "Thanks for the idea." He lifted both hands, sending his lasers at The Mandarin's left hand.

The hand hit the ground with a gruesome thud.

The Mandarin howled, and triggered the thumb ring on his right hand.

The ground around Tony shifted, turning to quicksand. With a curse he engaged the thrusters and blasted up. Cradling his left arm to his chest, The Mandarin tried to trigger another ring.

But his hold on Natasha was broken, and she slammed her elbow into his nose.

He faltered, but successfully lifted a hand and sent some sort of beam her way.

Tony slammed to the ground and blasted his repulsors at the beam. The two stood locked in a faceoff, a fantastic light colliding in the middle of their opposing attacks.

"Tasha?! Time to test out what we've practiced!" Tony shouted. 

Her eyebrows shot up. He remembered.

She tapped on the bracelets on her wrists.

They twisted, altering quickly and impressively into familiar gauntlets.

They were still a prototype. But Tony had promised her they would each have two good blasts. She would make them count.

She stepped up next to Tony, aimed, and sent a harsh, quick blast at The Mandarin's extended hand.

It was a direct hit, but The Mandarin only bellowed in pain. His arm remained lifted, his attack continued on.

"Try again, Tasha, we gotta end this!"

"Relax, Shellhead." She engaged the other thruster, and then triggered the Nightbringer ring. 

"Okay, that is nothing like we practiced," Tony said through the Iron Man speakers. Natasha struck The Mandarin with her other gauntlet, sending stumbling back toward the wall of darkness.

"Oh, better, I like that better," Tony stated, and the reactor on his chest glowed. 

Together they fired at The Mandarin one last time, knocking him back until he toppled over backwards and back into the wall of darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

The sudden silence was deafening. Cracking her jaw made her ears pop, which made it a little better.

Tony's helmet flipped back, into the suit. 

"Well, that was fun. Wait, did I say fun? I mean that was completely _messed up_ , I cannot even begin to state how unbelievably confused I am right now. Are we in the right spot? I have about a million memories, which are the right ones? Do we still hate Thaddeus Ross? Please tell me we hate Ross. I can't stand that guy, he's put away, right? And ugh, God, please tell me Justin Hammer is still locked up. He always called me 'Anthony,' I cannot STAND--"

"Jesus, Tony," she laughed, running a hand over her face. "Shut up."

"Easy for you to say, you didn't have a madman plant two years worth of memories in your head, do you have any idea how confusing that is? I mean, I'm a genius, I'll figure it out, but seriously..."

"Seriously, dear God, shut up before I taser you with one of the weapons you made."

His lips quirked as he stepped out of his suit. "You came after me."

"Somebody had to."

"Thank you." 

"Don't mention it."

He threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in. Natasha went with the hug and leaned her head on his shoulder as they started to trek back to The Compound.

"Although I'm still confused. Is Happy still here or did I piss him off and make him quit? I think it was the other timeline, but it's me, so who knows, I easily could have..." he trailed off, twisting to the side so he was face to face with Natasha, an incredulous look on his face. "Romanoff, did you KISS me?!"

Her face darkened. "Technically, you kissed me, and if you ever bring it up again, I will end you."

"Oh, hell, I gotta tell Pep and she is going to be so annoyed at me, and...oh, God." He grabbed Natasha's arm. "Pep. Pepper, she was...she and Rhodey. Oh, God, Tasha, they were dead, they were...tell me they're alive. Tell me they're okay here, Romanoff, please..."

"They were fine when I left," she assured him. "Grieving for you, but fine otherwise."

As if on cue, lights flooded on inside The Compound. 

"Oh, sure, now they wake up," Tony complained. "Where were they ten minutes ago?"

But he was smiling.

 

 

The celebration of Tony being back lasted for hours. Once Pepper stopped crying, she immediately had food and drinks brought in, despite the fact that it was nearly midnight. Everybody participated, except for Peter, who was sternly told by Tony and May that he was stuck with apple juice. 

The kid didn't care, and ate an entire pizza.

Tony sat on the couch with Pepper, his fingers laced with hers, chatting with Rhodey. They hadn't been more than a foot away from each other since Pepper had launched herself at Tony in the lawn.

Parker sat on the edge of the couch next to Rhodes, engrossed on the recap Tony was giving on what happened.

"I'm glad you're back," May said, stepping up next to Natasha. She smiled fondly at Peter as his mouth dropped open at something Tony said. "Things got a little worrisome for a while without you."

"Oh yeah?" Nat asked, sipping her champagne.

"Yeah. They need you, Nat." May said, squeezing her arm. Natasha smiled slightly, but it was forced. 

May wasn't fooled. "They do," she insisted. "Now, I'm gonna go get some more food before my nephew eats it all. Want some?"

"I'm good," she said, setting her champagne down.

May strode away, and Natasha turned slightly to stare out at the night.

She wondered how much time she had.

Vision joined her. "It is remarkable that they are not here yet."

She covered the jolt that went through her at his voice. He wasn't JARVIS, he had never been JARVIS, but the voice threw her off all the same.

"Maybe they feel guilty about crashing the party," she commented.

"You will not use it to your advantage, and run?"

"No. I promised before to abide by the rules. I can accept the punishment they give me for not following them."

"You have grown, Agent Romanoff." The formal title reminded her way too much of a friend left behind.

"Oh, come on, Vis. You can call me Nat."

"Nat," he tried out, and the smile he sent her made her own lips curve. "I shall stand for you, when they arrive. Try to encourage them to be understanding, and consider the circumstances."

"Thanks," she told him honestly. "But I don't want anyone getting in trouble. Bedsides, I might need you to stand as the voice of reason." She glanced at Tony and Pepper on the couch. "Some of the party goers might not understand."

"I see." He studied Tony, Pepper, and Peter. "I will ensure they do not get themselves in trouble, so that your decision is not in vain."

"Thanks, Vis."

"Of course, Nat."

 

 

She got another hour. 

Since she was still watching the sky out of the windows, she saw the lights of the jet before FRIDAY announced they had visitors. Vision squeezed her shoulder in solidarity, while they watched the jet land and Everett Ross and Maria Hill walk inside.

"What're those two doing here?" Tony asked, joining Nat. "Are they here to debrief us already? Thought they'd at least give us til morning."

"They're here for me," she said quietly, as the elevator doors opened.

"What?"

Everett huffed out a breath as he studied the occupants of the room. "Good evening, everyone. Ah. Glad you're back, Stark. Sorry to interrupt. Romanoff, could you come with us, please?"

"What's going on?" Tony demanded, stepping between Natasha and Everett. "Why do you need Romanoff?"

"We just need her to fill out some paperwork," Hill began, but Nat cut her off.

"Don't lie, Maria. It will make things worse."

Hill's lips pressed together in a tight line, but she nodded.

"Make what worse?" May demanded from the corner. 

Rhodey's eyes flicked from Natasha to Everett and he swore. 

"What?" Tony whirled, glancing to his best friend. "Rhodey-Bear, what's going on?"

Understanding filled Rhodey's face, and he sent Natasha an apologetic shake of his head. "The Accords. She didn't get permission to help you, Tones."

Tony whirled on Everett. "Explain."

"Agent Romanoff entered another dimension without proper permission or encouragement from the UN," Everett said. "In fact, she ignored the suggestion that she wouldn't be allowed to go after you if she found a way through the Darkforce, and did it anyway."

"You can't be serious," Pepper said darkly. "Surely this counts as an emergency, where they get to decide to help..."

"The battle was over," Maria said apologetically. "She could have waited."

"Are you _seriously_ arresting Romanoff because she found a way to help me and get me out?" Tony shouted, and Natasha finally moved.

She laid her hand gently on his arm, waited until he looked over at her.

"It's all right, Tony. I knew going in this would happen. It was my decision."

"Romanoff."

"I'm going with them," she said firmly. "I'm following the rules."

"Tasha."

"See you around, everyone," she said softly, and followed Hill to the elevator.

She stared at the floor as the doors closed, and ignored the protests occurring on the other side of the doors.


	12. Chapter 12

All things considered, her "cell" wasn't that bad.

They'd needed somewhere for her to wait until the UN could gather, hear her case, and decide what to do with her next. Thanks to the amendments she and Tony had created, she wasn't in a cell in the Raft. That thing had been shut down completely, a fact Natasha was extremely grateful for at the moment. On the uncomfortable flight out of The Compound, she'd asked Hill what to expect next. The former Assistant Director shrugged and told her she wasn't sure, but if Natasha continued to cooperate, it probably wouldn't get that bad.

So Nat behaved herself, and had been slightly surprised to discover that Maria had meant it.

The hotel room she had been placed in was surrounded by guards, but that was all right. She could get past them, if she really wanted. Hill was her roommate, which would have annoyed her once upon a time, but now she had the feeling that Hill really was doing her best to keep things as good as they could be. 

Everett Ross was constantly flitting in and out, but she would take him any day over Thaddeus Ross, so she didn't complain about his hovering and occasional stern glance.

And when she discovered he had had The Mandarin's rings sent to Shuri for study and safe-keeping, she decided he was reasonably intelligent, and started listening to his suggestions. 

Which were mostly behave, keep her head down, and let others argue her case for her. 

She didn't really have a problem with that. Though she wished she had been allowed to stay at The Compound. She wouldn't have thrown a fit about being locked in her room, as Wanda had done. The hotel room wasn't bad, but she missed her friends.

Three days after she'd been collected, Everett strode into the hotel room while she and Maria played a game of Pitch with a few other guards, and informed her her hearing was in the morning.

"That's great," she said slowly. "Why do you look like you want to strangle somebody?"

His lips pressed together. "Stark is being a problem."

"How?" She asked, though she had a pretty good idea.

"He's threatened to sue the entire UN, and he's seeking action to sue Maria and I personally. And I could be wrong, but I think he's taken to making select council members data and servers randomly crash just for the hell of it."

She did not, did _not_ , let herself smile.

Though she really wanted to.

"You insulted him."

"I'm following the rules _he_ helped establish!"

"Well, Tony's never been known for being ridiculously cooperative," she said. "He'll come around."

"If he doesn't knock it off, he'll end up having a case made against him as well," Maria commented. 

Natasha narrowed her eyes. "No. I don't care what you have to do, do not allow that to happen. My hearing is tomorrow. Tell him we need to hear what they have to say."

"You say that like I can just magically get in contact with him," Maria said. 

Natasha lifted an eyebrow.

"Fine," Maria huffed. "You better hope he listens to you."

"Tell him if he doesn't I'll tell everyone what happened outside his workshop."

"What, what?! What happened outside his workshop?"

"Just tell him," Natasha stated. "And by the way, I take this round."

"Well, damn."

 

 

Natasha walked out of the small conference room. Smoothing down her blazer, she kept her face carefully blank as the room dismissed and people exited out behind her.

"Natasha," Maria began, but Nat didn't look at her.

"It was the only way," Everett said quietly, stepping up next to her.

"I understand," she said, and though the words sounded hollow, she really did. Their decision had been pretty logical, and not unfair. 

But it still gutted her.

"You're still an Avenger," Maria said firmly, knowing what Natasha was thinking.

"Actually, I'm just a consultant." She wasn't trustworthy enough to be a full-time Avenger. They couldn't trust her to follow orders. After a period of time, in which she was instructed to participate in therapy and training (as if there were ANYTHING they could teach her,) they would allow her to assist the Avengers on an as needed basis, depending on the situation and how well she progressed in her training.

Black Widow was needed. But Natasha Romanoff wasn't recommended.

Oh, the irony.

"If it eases the sting at all," Everett continued, "there has been one ambassador volunteer to allow you to remain with them for your training." He gestured to a man and his sister on the opposite side of the room.

She smiled gratefully at T'Challa and Shuri. That did ease the sting a little. 

Though her heart still ached at the thought of not being allowed to go home. 

She'd finally found one. Not only found it, but fought for it, had done her best to fix the crack that had shattered it.

With her being sent away, there was a good chance it might not ever fully be repaired.

But she thought of a heart-broken man alone in a mansion in Malibu.

She'd do it again.

As if her thoughts called him forth, the crowds parted, and there he was. Dressed to the nines in a Hugo Boss suit, a Black Sabbath t-shirt, and sunglasses. The sunglasses were darker than the ones he normally wore, but she couldn't blame him. She didn't want anyone reading the expression in her eyes at the moment, either.

Everett saw Stark and sighed. "The man just doesn't give up, does he? He knows he's not supposed to be here."

"He's here on business for Stark Industries," Maria said. "They're doing damage control from The Mandarin taking out the New York offices. I'm sure it's just coincidence that he happened this way at this time."

"Uh huh." Everett rolled his eyes. "You might as well talk to him," he said to Natasha. "but for the love of God, please don't start anything. They'll revoke your consultant status and then you'll really be screwed."

"I never START anything," she said, insulted. She damn well finished them, though.

She looked at Tony, who stood ignoring everyone around him, a small snarl of disdain on his face. Then she straightened her shoulders, and went to say goodbye.

 

 

"Gimme five minutes, and I'll have you out of here and back home."

"Tony."

"Okay, maybe ten. I've got a few friends in the area, they'll help with providing a distraction. Then you're golden."

Tilting her head, she softly laid a hand in his arm. "You really think I can just go home?"

His jaw clenched. "This isn't right."

"Yes, it is. It is," she insisted. "I knew what I was doing. And I'd do it again. Besides, I get to go hang out in Wakanda for a while. I like it there. It'll be fine." Her voice didn't waver, and she was damn glad for that. 

"I'll come with you."

The words were simple, and offered casually. But she knew the depth of them. 

Her answering pat was light, her hands were steady as she smiled at him. 

Inside she was breaking.

"We both know you can't do that. You've got a company, and Peter. Not to mention your fiancée, who just went through hell while you disappeared."

"You say that like you have nothing."

"Spies aren't known for their ties to things, Tony. Makes sneaking away into the night a little difficult."

"Don't." The word was short, the tone dark as he turned to look at her. With a quick swipe, he yanked his sunglasses off and stared into her eyes. "Don't act like you're all alone, like you aren't part of the team. If it weren't for you, Romanoff, we would still be a god-awful mess, Peter probably would have been killed, I'd still be stuck with ROSS...you aren't some spy assigned to this team that can slip away without anyone knowing or caring."

Her eyes burned. "Stark..."

"You're more than the assassin the Red Room made you," he said firmly, as if he could read the thoughts in her head. "You have a FAMILY, and they will fight like hell to keep you."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"We're not asking. We're already there. Understand that, Tasha. If you want to go through with this, to follow the rules, and act out this ridiculous little sentence, okay. We'll go along with it too. But we will be there for you, every second of every day. Pepper and I will visit. The kid will send you endless reports, because you leaving the country doesn't mean your training of him ends, I for damn sure am not doing it and if Happy has to listen to anymore voicemails regarding churros, he'll snap. Rhodey will need assistance when I do something stupid, and Vision will probably need a good place to practice his new teleporting abilities with. Have you seen him do that? I thought the walking through walls thing was bad, but come on. Now he just vanishes and I have no idea where he goes until he magically comes back with a pizza."

Despite herself, she laughed. 

"It's not funny, I swear he does it to freak me out," he swore. Then he sighed. "Do you really want to go to Wakanda?"

"No," she admitted. "But I'm going to."

"You better do your best to be on good behavior. While you do, I'll work on getting this consultant thing eradicated. Although really, the world has a mean sense of humor, doesn't it? Natasha Romanoff, not recommended. Maybe they'll actually make you work with Legal."

She groaned. "I knew you were going to bring that up."

His smile was bright and blinding. "Too soon?"

"Yes," she said firmly, linking her arm through his. "Come on, walk me to my ride. Everett is about to have a heart attack, he thinks I'm going to rabbit."

"I can still provide that distraction."

"Thanks," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But I think it's going to be okay."

 

 

She woke to the sound of Shuri pounding on her door. 

She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head, knowing full well what this was about.

In ten seconds the door zipped open and Shuri stomped in.

"Agent Romanoff! Natasha! Wake up, your annoying friend has sent his AI back. Tell him to stop trying to infiltrate our systems, he's just embarrassing himself. I'll allow FRIDAY to interact, but next time he needs to use an actual phone."

She tapped a code on the wall display, and shook her head. "I was in the middle of a very important conversation with Okoye when the alarm started blaring. He owes me another delivery."

"I'm sure Tony will have the pizza here by noon," Natasha reassured her. Then she sat up. "Wait. Did T'Challa freeze again?"

Shuri rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. It's getting ridiculous, he sees Nakia every other day!"

Natasha smiled, then got out of bed to speak with FRIDAY as Shuri walked out.

"Hey, Fry, how's it going? What time is it there? Midnight?"

"It is one am," FRIDAY responded. "And it is going well, thank you. Boss would like to talk. Are you available?"

"Sure, patch him through."

She waited until Tony's face appeared, then snorted at his disheveled appearance. "What's the matter, Stark? Having trouble sleeping again?"

"Why do you assume I only call you when I can't sleep? It's not my fault you're the only one awake when I have a stroke of genius, Romanoff."

"Oh, Jesus. What did you blow up now?"

"That is amazingly rude. I haven't blown anything up in three days."

"Yes, I know. I was on the video call."

"Okay, well, that was a fluke. I figured that out yesterday."

"So, why are you calling? And you've gotta stop annoying Shuri, Tony."

"First of all, Shuri loves me, how dare you. No one else sends her New York pizza. Second, I had the absolutely best idea. You're gonna love it."

She settled back, shaking her head, and proceeded to talk her person out of creating May Parker an Iron Man chef.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hated breaking up the gang, but Natasha needed to be away to bring us to the beginning of Infinity War (though I don't really know if I could write a fic on that yet, because my heart!) I tried to end it on a happy note though :)
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!!


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